Cases

Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act Filed in Federal Court

CVRA violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution

(Washington, DC) Today, the Project on Fair Representation announces the filing of a new lawsuit in California federal court challenging the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).

The CVRA was passed by the California Legislature in 2001 in an attempt to overrule and circumvent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that limit the use of race and ethnicity in the creation of election districts. The CVRA has recently been utilized by a handful of attorneys to demand that dozens of California localities to abandon longstanding, at-large forms of voting systems in favor of race-based, single-member districts.

The lawsuit asserts that the California Legislature did not follow Supreme Court decisions making clear that race cannot be the predominant factor in redistricting. The complaint emphasizes that the CVRA makes race the only factor in redistricting.

To read the full press release please click HERE

To read the complaint please click HERE

To read the Motion for Preliminary Injunction please click here:
POFR Higginson Prelim Injunct 11.1 – Memo ISO Motion for Preliminary Injunction